Tourniquets



1956 KUNIYOSHI AKISAWA 2,765,791

TOURNIQUETS Filed July 27, 1954 United States l atent C TOURNIQUETS Kuniyoshi Akisawa, Osaka-fu, Japan Application July 27, 1954, Serial No. 446,002

6 Claims. (Cl. 128-327) This invention relates to medical tourniquets.

Heretofore, when an intravenous infusion is to be applied or in other cases, in order to constrict a vessel so as to stop circulation of blood and to engorge, such a procedure has been taken as to apply a rubber tubing around a limb of a patient, the ends of the tubing being, subsequently, tied with each other or clipped together with a pincher with adequate tension. When the location of a vein becomes distinct due to the engorgement, the needle is inserted. Then at the instant when the flow of blood appears into the glass adaptor of the needle, the rubber tubing should be released as soon as possible. Therefore, the operator ought to operate such a difiicult procedure as to either untie the rubber tubing or remove the pincher with one hand so as to release the tourniquet rapidly holding the needle still with the other hand to prevent skilfully the needle from slipping out of the vein. The said operation of either untying the rubber tubing or removing the pincher is too complicated and heavy to be made with fingers of one hand. Consequently, the operator is apt to lose care of holding the needle still. Thus, it has been often experienced that the needle slips out of the selected vein and the rubber tubing ought to be tied to engorge again.

As the patient has already been all nerves and discomforted by having been thrust by the needle, he falls into the grip of such an intolerable terror that any healthy one can not imagine normally, in consequence of such an unreliable operation as to make another attempt to reinsert the needle into another site, in addition to the hemorrhage at the puncture of the first attempt. This disadvantage is due to the absence of proper means relating to the tourniquet of rubber tubing which absence is a serious object in medical treatments notwithstanding its simple appearance.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple medi cal tourniquet which is very easily either applicable or releasable and extremely effective so that the medical treatments may be applied easily and advantageously "by using the device conveniently and quickly in many cases of, for example, medical engorgement such as a venous engorgement for intravenous infusion and other purposes, an arterial and a venous constriction against hemorrhage, etc.

By virtue of this invention, a proper engorgement may be effectively caused, and at the same time, the tourniquet is applicable and releasable very easily. Accordingly, the toruniquet may be released easily with one hand of the operator while the needle inserted is kept still. Thus, any operation of such an infusion or injection may be made very easily by virtue of the tourniquet according to this invention which is also very effective for engorgement and stopping bleeding in many cases.

According to this invention, the tourniquet, in general, comprises a substantially C-shaped pressing member and a long, elastic member, the pressing member including a hook portion formed at the head of the letter C, a press- Patented Oct. 9, 1956 ar C ing portion formed at the intermediate part along the said letter and adapted to contact with the skin, and a lever portion formed at the tail of the said letter where one end of the elastic member is joined to the pressing member, the other end of the elastic member being left free.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a plan of a preferred embodiment of this invention,

Figure 2 is a front view thereof.

Figure 3 is a right side view thereof.

Figure 4 is a left side view thereof, and

Figures 5 and 6 shown an application of this device around an arm.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, a substantially C-shaped pressing plate 1 of an adequate size includes a head 5, a tail 6 and an intermediate part 4 of the said letter. The bottom of the plate 1, particularly of the intermediate pressing portion 4, is so evenly surfaced that the surface of the bottom is adapted to contact with the skin 3. The head or a hook portion -5 is bent somewhat downwardly relating to the pressing portion 4. The tail or a lever portion 6 is bent somewhat upwardly relating to the pressing portion 4. Near the extremity of the lever portion '6, a pulling member such as a loop of a cord 7 is secured thereto. At the connecting part of the lever portion or the tail 6 with the intermediate pressing portion 4, each of both portions being shaped somewhat rectilineally, two holes 9 and 9' are provided through the pressing plate 1 vertically, one 9 being located inner than the other 9'. An angled end 10 of a suitable length of rubber tubing 11 is threaded upwardly through the hole 9 :and then downwardly through the hole 9 so as to join the extremity 10 of the rubber tubing 11 to the pressing plate 1.

In operation, holding the lever portion 6 of the pressing plate 1 with one hand of the operator, the bottom surface of the intermediate pressing portion 4 is made to contact with the skin 3 of, for example, an arm of the patient. Then the other end 12 of the rubber tubing 11 is wound on and around the downside of the arm towards the outside A and then the upside B of the hook portion 5 of the pressing plate 1 with adequate tension. Around the inside E, the end 12 is passed outwardly between the downside D of the hook 5 and the skin so as to stop the end 12 at a nearer position to the end of the head 5 against the action of elasticity and to form a large turn consisting of the tubing 11 and the intermediate pressing portion '4 around the arm as well as a small turn of the tubing around the head 5.

While the lever portion or the tail 6 is left free, the arm is secured tightly with the rubber tubing 11 and the pressing portion 4 by the action of elasticity of the tubing 11 so as to cause an effective engorgernent in veins.

As soon as release of this tourniquet is needed, by mere means of pulling up the pulling member 7 or the end of the lever portion 6 with one hand, the extremity of the hook or the head portion 5 is also made to arise apart from the skin 3 so as to release the small turn formed at the other end 12 of the rubber tithing 11 around the hook portion 5. Consequently the other end 12 will be rewound around the arm passing through the broad, open room inside the letter C freely, so as to release the tourniquet while there is no fear that the needle inserted is vibrated owing to the releasing motion of the tourniquet.

The pressing plate 1 may be made ofplastics or metal and shaped in forms other than the letter C. For example, a flat spiral of a rigid wire in an adequate thickness is considered as a modified shape of the letter C=and'-may be usedas-apres'si'ng plate. The'outer en'd of the-sp'iral isu'sed-as the hookwhile'the opposite portion is used as the anchoringpoints for the'end 16 f therubbertubing 11.

The pressing plate 1 may be openworked wherein'the hole's9 and 9 need not be specialized.

The pressing plate l-may be tran'sparentor coloured separated shade at each surface of th'etopand the bottom.

The flaressingjplate '1 may have "low heat conductivity in order to avoid an uncomfortable cold feeling when it is applied on the patents arm.

What I claim is:

1. A tourniquet comprising a substantially'c shaped pressing member and along, elastic member, the pressing member including a hook portion formed at the head of the-letter C, a pressing portion formed at the intermediate part along the said letter and adapted to contact with'the skin, and a lever portion formed at the tail of the said letter where one end of the elastic member is joined to the pressing member, the other 'end of the biastic member being left free.

2. A tourniquet as claimed in claim 1, comprising a substantially C-shaped, fiat pressing member including a hook portion of a somewhat downwardly bent headof the said letter C, a lever of a somewhat upwardly bent tail of the same, and a pressing portion at the intermediate part along the said letterthe bottom of which is so evenlysurfaced as to be adapted to contact with a skin of apatien-t; and an elastic member such as a rubber tubing, one

4 end thereof being joined to the base portion of the said tail by threading the said one end through a hole or holes provided within the said base portion, and the other end being left free.

3. A tourniquet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressing member comprises a fiat spiral of a rigid wire in an adequate thickness, the outer end of the spiral being bent so as to be adapted tobe used as the hook while the opposite portion to'thesaid hcok being adapted to be used as an anchoring part for the other end of the rubber tubing.

4. A tourniquet cla im'ed in claim 1, wherein the pressing member comprises a flat openwork, one end thereof being hearse-straps adapted to be used as a hook, and the one end of the elastic member being joined to the pressing member at an opposite part to the hook within the openworked pressing member.

5. A tourniquet =as "claimed'in claim 1, wherein the pressing member has afia't surface at the bottom, the outer edgeof the intermediate pressingportion is pr'btruded upwardly, and the-holes for anchoring'the one end ofthe elastic member is positioned and shaped opposite to the hook, so as topress the skin evenly with the whole 'bo'ttom'surface of the pressing member.

6. A tourniquet as claimed'in claim 1, wherein the pressing member is made of a material of low heat conductivity such as a transparent plastic material, the top surface thereof being separately colored to the bottom surface thereof.

References Cited in the tile of this patent "UNlTED STATES PATENTS 743,452 Hatch Jan. 14, 1930 

